Writing on that blank page takes more than a quick glimpse into the mirror of my soul, whether in a coffee shop or at home, despite distractions.

Writing is a release.

I’m a massive advocate of taking your everyday thoughts and telling the world about them. Not to change the world, but to change your world. To express how you feel, to make sense of your emotions, to help you navigate your life and to elevate your own self-awareness. Writing has done that for me — it’s my therapy. If you can use writing to help you understand your emotions, you’ll find you understand yourself much better and life becomes a little bit easier. — Eve Arnold in What It’s *Really* Like to Write 2 Articles a Day Before Work

Look long within and write deep. It’s only after writing one word or phrase that the next one flows from my mind like water from a nail hole in a dike. Until my pen stops moving, I don’t know what the last word on the page will be. I don’t need to know what it will be before the last drop of ink hits the page.

Even if I never read what I just wrote, I’m no longer the woman I was before I wrote that first word. I know there’s been a microscopic transformation. Over time, these will result in significant interior awareness and growth, provided I keep using that white mirror.

One of my “have to haves” for writing has been visiting open coffee shops so I can write with focus somewhere away from distractions and potential interruptions. During the COVID lockdown, I needed to surrender that option. Then, after my knee injury, I was again house-bound. I needed to find ways to write at home despite distractions.